


Not Clean

by makingitwork



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Break Up, Family, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 13:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1551473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not the cleanest relationship, with fine, smooth edges that fit together like jigsaw pieces. It's rough and it's ragged, but they're stuck together, and they wouldn't change a thing, because the picture they create? It's pretty damn perfect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Clean

It was over.

A mixture of stress, work, love, hatred, Spencer getting kidnapped one too many times, Hotch making dangerous calls that cut too close to be safe anymore. It wasn't a nice clean breakup. But they had never been nice and clean. They had been jagged and broken and bumped edges everywhere, but they had been happy. Until they weren't. Until Hotch yelled at him across the bullpen, and Spencer willed back tears, because everyone was watching and Hotch was breaking up with him in front of a whole department. 

Afterwards, Hotch had come to him, apologised for everything, but Spencer hadn't let him wipe his tears. Because Spencer was a damn good profiler, and he knew when something wasn't working. 

He packed his bag, unsure when he had actually moved into Hotch's house. He leaned his suitcase against the door and shrugged on his satchel, glancing at himself in the hallway mirror. Boy band haircut because Hotch said he liked it, purple shirt because Hotch had said he once liked it, black waistcoat because he was Spencer Reid. He squared his shoulders, turning to leave, when-

"Pa?"

Spencer turned, to see Jack, it was only about 4 am, he must have woken him up. Spencer crouched, so he was eyelevel with the kid he'd come to think of as a son. "Hey buddy," he said quietly, admiring the baby blue pyjamas, he'd bought them for him. "What are you doing up?"

The beautiful blond boy stared at him "You're leaving," 

Spencer stiffened "I'm sorry buddy-"

"You promised." He glared, angry and hurt "You told me that mummy had left, and Aunt Georgia had left, but you promised you wouldn't leave. You promised."

"I know," Spencer whispered quickly, pulling Jack in for a hug, blinking back his own tears. God, he was just like his father. He had become the man he hated. He was walking out on his son. "It's complicated okay, you know how things are."

"You're leaving me." He whispered, pushing away from Spencer, scrambling back, a look of betrayal on his face that made Spencer's gut wrench. "You're not my Papa,"

Spencer couldn't stop the tear from escaping his eye, he wiped it away with fumbling fingers and picked up his suitcase "You're right Jack, I'm not." He opened the door, and the cold night air wafted in. He turns to look down at Jack, who was glaring at him, but crying at the same time. Spencer ducked his hand into his pocket, pulling out the trick card from his pack. He pressed it into Jack's palm, kissing his forehead "Don't hate me. And do not hate your father."

"I don't ever wanna see you again!" 

Spencer choked back a sob, before disappearing into the cold night air.

...  
...  
...

It was 10 years later that Jack saw Spencer again. 

They hadn't seen each other since.

Spencer hadn't changed, it hadn't looked like he had aged at all, hair slightly longer, but still a tumbling mess of brown curls. He was writing a very long equation on the board, and mumbling to himself. 

"Uh...Spencer?" came a voice. Spencer turned to see the 15 year old and smiled, not recognising him. Because Jack had changed immensely. A handsome boy with blond curls, that he had let grow, to just past his ears, parted in the middle, a style that Spencer use to have. With vibrant blue eyes. 

"Hi, do I know you?"

Jack quirked a small grin "No, I was just wondering, I...I saw your lecture the other day, the one about twins, and the evil gene." He straightened his ruck sack "I wanted to talk to you about it."

Spencer laughed, nodding slightly "So you walked into the FBI? How did they even let you in?"

"Guess I'm pretty harmless looking," he joked gently, "What's that?" he gestured to the board, and the lengthy, still unfinished equation. And listened as Spencer babbled about how this was just for fun. Jack stared at the man, he hadn't changed. Still the same. Still in love with maths, still looked young and clever. It was no wonder his father had loved him. And hopefully still did "I need your help." He interrupted Spencer. Spencer nodded

"About the twin thing?"

"No. I need you to get my dad to break up with Beth." 

Spencer frowned, eyes moving rapidly from side to side, until he staggered back "J-Jack?" he whispered, brown eyes blown, he stepped forward, slightly unsure "I...oh god- Jack, I hadn't realised-" he stopped short, unsure what to say. And Jack remembered vividly making Spencer cry. In what he hadn't realised was the end of the greatest relationship ever. "I can't break up Beth and your dad, they're happy, and I think you know he's been missing something in his life for a long time."

"10 years."

"His office is just around the corner-"

"He still loves you-"

"Jack," Spencer looked down at him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder "I know what it's like, but...he's happy, okay?" he scanned Jack's hair suddenly "You grew it out?"

Jack took a step back, defensive now that he knew Spencer wouldn't help him "I'll cut it."

Spencer half smiled "Did you ah...get my gifts?"

That stopped Jack. For his birthday, Spencer had always left him a gift. His dad never questioned it, never asked what it was. Normally it was magic or sciency stuff, but this year, it had been a medallion. Spencer's medallion, for being clean for 14 months. And the emotional value made it priceless. "It was amazing."

"Which is your favourite microscope?" he asked eagerly, eyes buzzing. Jack laughed

"Not the microscopes,"

Spencer laughed gently, and Jack remembered how easy it was to talk to him. "Go to your father, Jack."

Jack looked up at Spencer hopefully; "I'm with him right now."

...  
...  
...

Beth didn't like it. 

Not one bit. 

Spencer and Jack spent a lot of time together, Spencer helped with homework, Jack helped with the non-violent cases. Taught each other magic, slight of hand, watched the Sopranos together, because what was better than an Italian classic? It was like rekindling something that had been lost. Jack loved him, it came back as easily as it had when he saw how much Spencer had made his father smile. And Spencer had never stopped loving Jack. Riding a bike, after all. 

"I don't like it, Aaron," Beth hissed, as she and Hotch walked into their house to see Spencer and Jack slamming cards in quick succession onto the table, yelling snap, everything was clean, the dishes on, and was that...Beethoven playing gently in the background. "Your ex just hanging around your house with your son? I don't like it. It's weird." Her voice was laced with judgement, but Hotch simply shrugged

"Jack's a teenager, Beth, if he wants to invite Spencer over I'm not going to ban him from the house. Spencer's a friend now, a good family friend. I'm not going to say anything." 

"Hey guys," Spencer said quietly, he had left the card game momentarily to stand in front of them, hands in his pockets "If this is a bad time I can leave-"

"Yes please." Beth hissed just as Hotch shook his head. She glared at him

"Spencer, feel to free to spend as much time with Jack as you like. But you don't have to do the dishes."

"Please," Spencer laughed "I used to live here, I kinda wanna see it clean," Hotch smiled fondly, and Beth fumed. Rightly so. 

"Dad!" Jack moaned, Spencer and Hotch turned to see Jack, handsome and young holding up the cards "Come back and play!"

"Alright," Spencer laughed, heading back to the table. 

Hotch stared in shock, and Beth walked out of the house. Dad? When had that happened? Spencer hadn't even seemed surprised...unless he saw Jack as his son...

"What would you like for dinner, guys?" Hotch asked, walking into the kitchen, sliding his hand along Reid's back as he passed behind him. 

...  
...  
...

Spencer's stuff moved back in gradually, first books, then clothes, then shoes, and then he was sleeping on the couch. The guest room. Hotch's bed. Their bed. He was there after Jack's school, into the late evening, and then finally all the time. He slotted back in easily, in every single way. 

Jack stretched on the Saturday morning, cosy in his warm bed, as the light streamed in. He could hear his dad's snoring from the next room, Spencer downstairs, cleaning like the germaphobe he was.

It made him smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments give me life!  
> x


End file.
